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NewsHour Teacher Center Blog
January 13, 2008

We all know that current events, social issues, and world affairs are essential components in educating young people about our world and our democracy. Linking real world events and issues to classroom learning can promote the type of student engagement underlying solid educational practice. Here at NewsHour Extra we call it “teaching with news.”

As a visitor to this site, you most likely are already involved in teaching with news. NewsHour Extra is one of many online providers of free educational materials for teachers like you. This blog and the features growing out of it intend to develop a shared collaborative resource, allowing teachers and providers to work together to build a robust support network for teaching with news, enhancing possibilities and learning outcomes for all teachers interested in incorporating news and real world affairs into their classrooms.

This initial incarnation of the NewsHour Teacher Center is built around four ideas:

1. A blog (written by myself, Brian, and others) to find and discuss resources, information, lesson plans, and issues related to teaching with news.

2. A growing collection of links to reliable web resources related to teaching with news.

3. Various ways for teachers to publicly share their comments and experiences teaching with news.

4. Relevant tidbits from the internet, including interesting examples of new technologies related to teaching with news.

Here is an overview of what you will regularly find on this page:

Blog Entries will discuss specific web resources, lessons plans, teaching strategies, and explore the wide range of topics related to teaching with news. I will be talking with teachers, attending conferences, and scouring the internet for information and resources to include in blog entries. Guest bloggers are invited to share their particular expertise, experience, or resources.

                        Over in the right hand column are more —>
                        NewsHour Teacher Center features —>

Sign Up is where you can enter your email address so I can email you back my address, establishing our link for private email communication. You are joining our NewsHour Teacher Center mailing list, separate from any other NewsHour or PBS mailing lists. I will not use your email address for any other purpose than my sending you an occasional email. Communication and collaboration are the lifeblood of this site and I will do my best to answer all emails in a timely fashion.

Recent Comment
s are the most recent comments that readers like you have made in response to a particular blog entry, using the “comment” feature at the end of each blog entry. You can read all comments by going to the end of a specific blog entry. Please don’t be shy about adding your comments. We are all in this together and you are among friends!

Recent Lesson Plans will link you to the newest NewsHour Extra lesson plan or other featured lesson plan. More Lesson Plans are available in our NewsHour Web Resources collection and on the NewsHour Extra and PBS teacher pages.

Web Resources is NewsHour’s web-based collection of organized and searchable links to reliable web resources and lesson plans for teaching with news. Your personal favorite links are solicited to help grow this collaborative collection.

Teacher to Teacher
is a place for you to share your classroom experiences or strategies with colleagues. No Teacher to Teacher entry is too short or too long. We can take heart from our shared stories, and we can learn from each other!

Video Clips are samples of interesting ways that internet video is being used to deliver content and educational opportunities for students and teachers. You are invited to email me links to video segments you have found useful or intriguing for future inclusion on this feature.

Blog Jam is a regularly updated list of links to thought-provoking or instructive blog entries from the vast blogosphere of teaching and education blogs. Click on a link to visit the original blogger site and read the posting. You are invited to recommend your own blog entry favorite(s) for future inclusion on this feature.

Future NewsHour Teacher Center blog entries will explain the above interactive features in more detail. Content on this page will be updated often. Please come back and visit us often!
In closing today’s entry I would like to express my appreciation and excitement in joining the NewsHour Extra staff. NewsHour Extra has been providing award-winning educational outreach for the NewsHour with Jim Lehrer program for over 8 years.

I hope this blog encourages you and other teachers to take maximum advantage of Extra’s high quality detailed lesson plans, student news stories, student voices, and other features that appear weekly on this site.

In Peace,

Brian

Author

Comments

Posted:
01/24/08 at
09:02 PM
Matt Menier : This site sounds very cool and useful. Do you have any resources that could talk about what's currently going on in Russia appropriate for an 8th grade geography class? Thanks, Matt
Posted:
01/25/08 at
01:09 PM
Diane Aleman : Like your article on the reasons behind falling dollar. Can you do something on the tax cuts and possibly a look at the candidates econonmic policies. Most of my students will be voting for first time and I would like them to know what that person they support stands for economically.
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